The boy, the tulip and the white picket fence
by StarStrewn
Summary: Just a short,sweet fic about Jim and Pam as kids. Hope you like it.


**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. **

**I just wrote this for fun but I hope you enjoy! **

She was watching the cat when she fell. As a four year old, Pam adored cats, especially tabby ones. Watching the fat tabby cat on the other side of the road, she skipped down the footpath in her shiny Mary Janes. The cat was nestled among some old, dry leaves, dozing off in the late afternoon sun. Pam clutched a fistful of melted looking dandelions in one hand. Her loose hair rippled down to her shoulders in soft, tousled waves, the ribbons that had held her braids together that morning caught among bushes behind her. She was on her way home from the park. She'd skipped ahead, leaving her mother behind. She was so busy watching the cat she didn't notice a rock on the pathway. She stumbled over it, the limp dandelions slipping out of hand as she fell to the concrete. She lay quite still, stunned for a moment, waiting for the pain to kick in. And then it came, sharp and quick. She burst into tears, pushing herself up on her hands. She sat on her knees and wailed, waiting for her mother to catch up and help her. She let out a fresh batch of tears when she noticed her skinned palms. Her stomach trembled at the little ribbons of blood that streamed from her hand. Where was her mother? Why wasn't anybody helping her? Just as Pam was ready to let out a scream, a boy appeared from behind the white picket fence she had fallen in front of.

"Are you okay?" He asked, eyes wide with curiosity and concern. She held back the tears, studying him. He was her age, with tousled chestnut hair and round green eyes. He was wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt with an orange cartoon tiger on front. And his feet were bare and dirty. She said nothing.

"I'm Jim." He said helpfully.

"I'm Pam." She replied cautiously.

"Are you okay?" He asked again. She shook her head solemnly, tears filling her eyes. She raised her hands to show him the raw skin. He smiled sympathetically, like he wasn't quite sure what to say.

"It'll be okay." He comforted her. "Look, I skinned my knee two days ago." He tugged up one leg of his jeans to reveal a dinosaur band aid. Pam studied it through the gaps in the fence.

"Does it hurt _real_ bad?" She asked worriedly.

"Only when I press on it." He pushed his fist down on his knee and winced to demonstrate.

"Oh." She glanced over her shoulder, wondering where her mom was. When she looked back, Jim was still standing there, watching her. Jim sat down cross legged on the grass and took her hand through the fence.

"I like your dress." He said out of the blue. She looked down at her blue pinafore dress.

"Thanks." She smiled shyly. "I like your t shirt. I like tigers." He grinned.

"Yeah...me too. Do your hands still hurt?" She looked at her hands. The blood had stopped flowing but they still stung.

"A little." She heard her mother calling her name down the street. Jim bent and plucked a bright red tulip from the flowerbed lining the fence.

"I hope this makes them feel better." He held it out to her with his free hand, hesitantly, worried she might not take it.

"Thanks!" A warm smile spread over her face and she buried her nose into the pretty flower. Her mother caught up to her then and bent to scoop her up.

"Ohh, Pammy, are you okay?" She asked worriedly, checking her hands.

"I'm okay." Pam smiled and wiped away a stray tear. "Jim helped me."

"Who's...oh." Her mom noticed Jim standing there. "Thank you Jim." She said kindly. "We have to go now."

"Bye," He waved. "Bye Pam. I hope your hands gets better real soon."

"Bye Jim." Her mother began to carry her away. She waved to Jim over her mother's shoulder. "We better put some antiseptic on that scrape..." Pam frowned at the thought. Jim made a funny face as they walked away and she couldn't help giggling. The cat was gone and her hands were scraped but at least she had her tulip from Jim.

**I wrote this in about 15 minutes, just for fun. But please review anyway to let me know what you think. Thanks for reading! **


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